Fabric for airships



Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

A;;;;'.L'A'AVAVAVAVAVA'A AVAVAVAVA* J. McKECHNIE.

, BALLOONS, &c.`, AND METHOD 0F MANUFACTURING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 1917.

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FABRIC F-oH.AmsH|Ps JAMES MDKECHNIE, OIE' BARROW-IN-FUBNESS, ENGLAND,ASSIGNOR T0 VICKERS LIMITED, F WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

FABRIC FOR AIBSHHS, BALLOONSV, &c., AND METHOD 0F MANUFACTURING- T'HESAME.

` VSpecification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 16, 19119 Applicationled May 8, 1917. Serial No. 167,171. i

c England, have invented cert-ain new and 'useful Improvements in orRelatingto Fabric for Airships, Balloons, Sac., and Methods ofManufacturing the Same, of which the following is a specification. y

This invention relates to the manufacture of fabric employed in theconstructionA of airships, balloons and similar craft of the kindwherein biased or diagonal cut material is used. Heretofore, it has beenthe ractice to connect together several rhom- Boidal-shaped pieces toform lengths or strips of material having diagonal warp threads and toso arrange the said lengths or strips that in some of them the Warpthreads have a right hand lay yor b ias, thus enabling an envelop to beproduced in which the lengths or strips alternately ossess warp threadsof right and left han bias. The chief object ofthe present invention 1savoid the use of the small pieces of fabr1c of rhomboidal shape inmaking the lengths or strips of biased or diagonal cut matemal, therebyeliminating the numeroussectional joints and the labor they involve andob` taining a light and more evenly finished envelop than heretoforeandone possessing a more uniform elasticity. l

According to the invention the fabric or material is woven in any wellknown manner in the form of a double cloth with'the selvage made asnearly as practicable the same as the main portion of the fabric so thatwhen delivered from the loom it is 1n the form of'a tube. This tube isthen cut along a line forming a right or left hand helix, thus producingin a manner well understood in the textile art, a long continuous lengthof biased or diagonal cloth. Ihe helical line may of course bedeterminedby passing the tubular cloth over a cylindrical Ytemplet, or(while the cloth is in the double fiat condition) by the aid .ofteniplets or other appropriate means, which will enable the desiredmarking and cutting of thej cloth to be performed. rl`lie longcontinuous lengths of the biased or diagonal cloth thus produced arethenv combined to form an envelop in such a manner that variations inthe Strength and extension of the threads forming one section or gorepiece of the envelop will be e ualized or compensated for by corresponing variations in the strength and extensions of the threads forming theadjoining section or gore piece, with the result that the extension ofthe threads will be practically equal in all directions, thus preventingdistortion or deformation of the envelop. In some cases the saidcontinuous lengths of biased cloth may be combined in layers withother'long continuous lengths of unbiased cloth z'. e. cloth woven inthe ordinary manner; thus a continuous biased or cross-cut length may becombined with an ordinary straight cut continuous length to produce a.two-ply fabric having l y the warp threads in the alternate sections orgore pieces ofthe nished envelop running respectively right and leftto'counterbalance the twisting effect. Any suitable -number of longcontinuous lengths or layers of the biased'or diagonal cloth may,however, be used according to requirements, but

usually two will be suilicient. For combining or attaching together thelong continuous lengths or layers of the cloth, rubber or other adhesiveand proofing substances -may be employed, or they may be connected Inorder that the invention may be clearly I i understood and readilycarried into effect .the same will now be more fully described with theaid of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l representsdiagrammatically a portion of the tubular Woven fabric and the directionin which it is cut along a left hand helix.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the at right angles to those shown.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing diagrammatically how the biasedlengths are arrange-d edge to edge with the bias alternately right andleft handed.

a (Fig. l) indicates the tubular` fabric and b indicates the left handhelical line along which the fabric is cut to produce a I continuouslength or strip of biased cloth equal in length to the said line b.

In the employment of two lengths of the biased cloth, the arrangementindicated diagrammatically by Fig. 2 shows how. the warp threads in onelength appear relatively to the warp threads of the adjacent length whenone length is laid on the other with the warp threads crossingeach-other at right angles. Fig. 3 shows how the warp threads appearwhen two lengths of biased cloth are combined with one length ofordinary woven cloth. By making the cloth inl'o'ng continuous lengthsand thus avoiding the necessity of numerous joints, a more evenspreading of the rubber or other proofing is attainable withoutinterfering with the doctor knife on the spreading machine. Owing to theabsence of the joints, some reduction in the weight of the finishedlcloth is obtained as well as a saving in labor. When only one length orlayer of biased or cross-cut cloth is used alone orcombined with alength or layer `of ordinary straight cut cloth the twisting effect inthe finished balloon or envelop may be prevented or resisted byarranging the alternate length sections or gore pieces so that while.one length has a right hand bias the adjoining length or lengths have aleft hand bias (see Fig. 4). In this way the varying strength andextension of the threads forming one length or section will be equalized`or compensated for by the varying strength and extension of the threadsforming the adjoining length or section. As in Figs. 2 and 3 only oneset of threads is indicated in each length or section in Fig. 4.

The cutting of the tubular woven fabric may -be effected along either aright hand or a left hand helical line to obtain lengths with a right ora left hand bias. If the lengths with a right hand bias are combined inlayers with those of a left hand bias the crossing of the threads of onelength with another will be at right angles without requiring one lengthto be reversed relatively Yso that the threads cross each other in the'envelops for use aereas@ to adjacent length as is necessary whenlengths vof all right hand or all left hand 'bias are employed.

In lieu of two lengths one length of double width may be foldedlongitudinally required direction, the Width of the lengths to be foldedbeing determined by the diameter of the woven tubular cloth. Theclothmay be woven either in a circular loom or in a plain loom as may befound expedient.

`What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United Statesis l. A method of manufacturing fabric in airships, balloons and similarcraft, which consists in spirally cutting a tubular cloth to obtain longcontinuous lengths of biased clot-h, combining said continuous lengthsso that the threads of one length extend in a different direction to thecorresponding threads of the other length and joining the edges of saidlengths together to form the envelop, for the purpose specified.

2.A method of manufacturing fabric envelops for use in airships,balloons and similar craft which consists in cutting a tubular wovenfabric along a right hand helical line to obtain long continuous lengthsof cloth, cutting a tubular woven fabric along a left hand helical lineto obtain further long continuous lengths of cloth, arranging saidlengths alternately and joining the edges of adjacent lengths togetherto form the envelop.

3. A method of manufacturing fabric envelops for use in air ships,balloons and similar craft which consists in making long continuouslengths of cloth by cutting tubular woven fabric along right and lefthand 105 helical lines, combinin said long continuous lengths of clothin layers with ordinary woven cloth, and joining the edges of adjacentlengths of said combined layers together to form the envelop.

4. A method of manufacturing fabric envelops for use in airships,balloons and similar craft, which consists in cutting a fabric woven inthe form of a tubular cloth along a line forming a helix so as to obtainlong 115 continuous lengths of biased cloth and combining saidcontinuous lengths edge to edge with the bias alternately right and leftAhanded for the purpose specified.

-5. For use in the construction of fabric envelope for airships andsimilar craft a fabric comprising layers of long continuous. lengths ofbiased cloth cut helically from lengths of tubular woven fabric combinedwith layers of long continuous lengths of ordinary woven cloth,alternate sections being arranged edge to edge so that while the lengthin one section has a right hand bias the adjoining length in theadjacent section has a left hand bias.

6. For use in the construction of fabric cloth, the said lengths lyingedge to edge envelops for airships, balloons and similar with the biasalternately right and left handcraft, a fabric comprising in combinationed substantially as hereinbefore described 10 long continuous lengths ofdiagonal cloth for the purpose specied. 5 cut helcally from lengths oftubular woven In witness whereof, I affix my signature.

fabric with the addition of a layer of other long continuous lengths ofordinary Woven JAMES MCKECHNIE.

